Video and Film Production

Occupy the Internet, Live streaming and the 99%

I am sitting here in Launceston, Tasmania, on the 15th of October, 2011 after occupying

…nothing…

…but time, online, in other occupations, feeling a little flat, a little emotionally spent but in a huge way super optimistic about a future for humanity that has been beginning to physically shape itself in the last few weeks.
…
On television I have seen nothing.

Some comment and a little confusion, but nothing substantial compared to the live channels over the internet. There seems to be a media blackout that is getting a little harder to uphold every day, but I don’t care I don’t trust the television anyway.’

But Online, well…

I have seen Police rip down camps sites in public parks, Tear down kitchens that have been erected to feed the homeless. Seen them pepper spray and beat people. Seen law enforcement officers surrounding parks, dressed in black “riot” gear, run people over on motorbikes, arrest citizens with no charges and throw peoples possessions in garbage trucks.

I have seen no reciprocal violence.

Plenty of shouting. Plenty of hand signals and hand holding, but not one act of violence against the police from the occupiers.

I have seen no leaders organising this movement. I have attended, online, plenty of General Assemblies in Boston, New York, Seattle and Portland and if there seems to be a leader trying to manipulate, they do not last long, people just won’t listen to them.

I have heard the people’s microphone. One of the most beautiful things to grace humanity. Born from what I can see, a ban on microphones and megaphones in the New York / Wall street occupations, one person speaks after calling and hearing an echo, “ Mic Check”. They can be anywhere in a crowd of 50 to a crowd of 5000, as I saw in New York yesterday morning when they were to be evicted and their numbers grew tenfold at 6 in the morning to ward off the NYPD, and in this crowd they still will be heard.
To hear the peoples mic in a crowd of this magnitude was spine tingling and it felt that they elevated humanity one little rung higher on our evolutionary journey. You should check it out sometime.

This is a self organizing movement.

I thought about planning an occupation in our town, I enquired with an organization…but I stopped, it felt as if it shouldn’t be forced. It will happen, it seems to be that way. Nothing is forced this time. The only force I ever feel is when I try to drag myself away from my online brothers and sisters supporting our in occupiers to feed the dogs or kids or go to work.

There have been thousands of people online with our occupiers every single step of the way.

Last night in Seattle we watched as the police tried to rip their camp apart. They called for help on the live stream. They needed extra lights and batteries and more people to resist and hold the police accountable. When the live feed went down, their were five people left resisting, the tent had been ripped down around them and it went off.

Ten minutes later the stream came alive, there were lights, there was screaming, shouting and chanting, 2000 people were watching online and the live chat was going crazy with questions about what was happening. The people on the ground replied, (Yes, we can talk with them) that the police had left. They introduced some online participants now in the flesh for them that had arrived to help .

Three dear old people called out to camera/laptop holder as she moved out of the crowd and said they had some flashlights that they asked for. In the chat only minutes before.

And then we bought them pizza. They got pizza, ordered online from the chat participants from all over the United States and the world.

This is the type of movement this is. And this is why I have a heap of optimism. It was the movement I thought would happen ten years ago after some buildings fell down. A movement that is not just about injustice but about something far grander.

and if you are only just realizing or haven’t yet…

Its better a little late, than never and

I don’t think this thing will stop

so take your time…there is plenty for everyone to occupy while they wait.